


The Palau Call

by RoryKurago



Series: Kurago [5]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Banter, Gen, Jaeger Pilots, Sibling Bonding, Sydney Shatterdome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 09:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7634419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoryKurago/pseuds/RoryKurago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurago is on patrol off west Papua when the call comes through: category-III on a vector for Indonesia which will take it directly past Palau, which houses the Pacific’s closest early warning system to the Breach.<br/>“We’re deploying directly to the island?” Dana said via internal comms. "Isn’t that a little—”<br/>Tahnee raised an eyebrow. “Unusual?”<br/>“—weird?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Palau Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [artificiallifecreator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificiallifecreator/gifts).



> Kind of dedicated to Shmoo/artificiallifecreator, because this sort of banter seems like it would be right up her alley. 
> 
> This takes place during the currently-in-progress chapter of 'Kurago'.

**Halmahera Sea, July 2017**

 

Kurago was on patrol off west Papua when the call came through: movement in the Pacific, tracking straight towards Palau. The island was small; scarce population, closer to the Breach than anything but the ruins of Guam, not a lot of obvious value.

Marshal Merriman's reedy voice crackles on the comms. “Jumphawks are on their way to pick you up. We’re going to drop you directly in Onikuma’s path. Intercept _before he reaches Palau_. All you have to do is keep him away from the islands until the cavalry arrive.”

The twins exchanged a look. Yes, they were the southwest’s designated Hey-Look-A-Distraction but there was no need to rub it in. Still, they let it slide: more important points were pressing.

“We’re deploying directly to the island?” Dana said via internal comms. Merriman had leaned away from the mic to talk to someone out of its range. She didn’t bother switching to unaugmented audio; only Norouzi would be listening. “Not to the nearest mainland coast? Isn’t that a little—”

Tahnee raised an eyebrow. “Unusual?”

“—weird?”

Merriman returned. “There’s a PPDC installation on the island. It’s of the utmost importance that it be preserved. It’s currently our earliest warning station.”

There it was. The women closed their eyes, praying for strength from whichever higher power was paying attention.

“Shaolin Rogue is the closest, but Hong Kong is having some difficulties scrambling their Hawks. We’ll keep you posted. Until then, you just focus on maintaining a perimeter. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

The Marshal signed off after telling them they would receive more details during transit and to move to the RV point in their sector.

Tahnee looked across from the left cradle. “Why is it never the people?”

“Who we prioritise highly enough for direct deployment?”

“It’s never the people.”

“Did you honestly expect it to be the people?”

“Sometimes it is for the Icebox.”

“They don’t have anything else.”

“Neither do the people on that island.”

The twins looked at each other, then at the amorphous kaiju specs revolving in a corner of the HUD.

“So we’re in accord,” Tahnee said after a brief pause.

“We are.”

“Nothing gets past the shallows.”

Stretching out of their cradles, they managed to graze a fistbump above the chasm between their platforms, and Kurago gave an odd little shiver as she stood otherwise motionless in the surf.

“If you’re done shooting the breeze, commanders.” Norouzi’s voice was blithe despite the static.

“We are,” said Dana cheerfully. “Proceed.”

“Rendezvous point is one hundred and eighty-two kilometres north-west of your position—one eight two. A Hawk contingent departed from Davao already. ETA is in an hour and twenty: eighty mikes—eight zero.”

“Is she telling us to shift it?”

“I think she’s developing a sense of sass. Hey, Norouzi! Are you sassing us?”

“Commander, I’m a mature professional. I don’t ‘sass’.”

“She’s sassing us.”

“I am merely providing you with the information to judge for yourselves the appropriate speed at which to move in order to catch your lift to prevent a category-three kaiju from destroying the Pacific Alliance’s main early-warning facility in less than six hours. Commanders.”

The twins were silent for a moment. Then Dana made a sound that was either a bit of saliva going down the wrong pipe or a stifled laugh, and Tahnee reached up to a control panel to cover her smile and began to plot a course to the co-ordinates blinking on the HUD.

“Noted, LOCCENT,” she said mildly.

“I like sassy Norouzi,” Dana commented offhandedly as the Jaeger began moving. “You feeling up to a run?”

“The water gets deeper closer to the Halmahera Sea. We could do with the lead time, just in case.”

Neither bothered to comment aloud that a run – or jog – would keep them from thinking too hard about who The Cavalry would be.


End file.
